Waseem ahmed

Waseem Ahmed (b. 1976) is a Pakistani artist from Hyderabad, and is renowned as one of the country's leading artists in the field of contemporary miniature paintings. His distinct style uses traditional Mughal aesthetics and techniques while being placed in a contemporary context, often addressing socio-political themes. Ahmed's work comprises drawing, gouache, pigments, and gold leaf on Wasli paper, creating vibrant compositions. Although he approaches his art with a traditional framework observed in miniature paintings, Waseem incorporates his own subject matter and themes into his body of work. The content of his artwork consists of inventive, recurring subjects, often inspired by mythological and contemporary figures of both Eastern and Western influence. His use of flora and calligraphy are other signature elements that distinguish his style. His work has been widely celebrated both in Pakistan and globally, with multiple solo and international shows. He currently works and resides in Lahore, where he teaches miniature painting as well as continues to produce his own, innovative work.

Waseem Ahmed was inspired by the sculpture, "The Driller in 1901", by Charles Henry Niehaus. The artist utilizes the image to explore his perspective on current socio-political events worldwide, emphasizing the struggles of the common man who tirelessly digs and digs, only to encounter chaos. Through the use of freely painted black pigment, he aims to visually represent this sense of disorder. Additionally, the calligraphy presented in the painting consists of characters from the Urdu alphabet, however it intentionally renders it incomprehensible to the viewer, as it has no grammatical meaning. This serves as a metaphor for the language barriers that exist, where the Arabic and Persian alphabets may appear similar, they are ultimately unique from one another. Thus, the underlying concept of the deliberate writing in the painting conveys society’s attempts to comprehend the world’s situation, and while everyone is expressing their own opinions, there is ultimately a lack of true understanding.

untitled

2023

Dry pigment, color, and silver leaf on archival handmade

Wasli paper

Framed

27.7 x 22 in. (70.5 x 55.8 cm)

Price on request aRtWORk PReSented By:

H. Edward Gallery

T.: +1 (646) 753-2819

E.: hedwardgallery@gmail.com

W.: www.hedwardgallery.com